


Almost Out of Minutes

by haleynovak



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming Out, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 17:28:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1949880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleynovak/pseuds/haleynovak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas have been best friends forever, but what happens when Dean tells Cas about his feelings for him? Mostly Destiel, Sabriel is more in the background.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last story I have to transfer from fanfiction.net (thank Chuck). SInce I'm transferring, all of the chapters should be up around the same time. Enjoy!

“Ugghhh.” Dean Winchester couldn’t help but groan as he tore himself from his warm bed to get ready for his first day of senior year. His alarm clock had rudely interrupted his dream by blasting _Heat of the Moment_ by Asia. After smashing the snooze button for nearly twenty minutes, Dean had reluctantly decided to get up. He turned on some Zeppelin and jumped in the shower, letting the music and hot water wake him up.

Once he had pulled on some clothes and scarfed down his breakfast, Dean gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and pulled his little brother to the garage. It was Sam’s first day of high school, and Dean was driving him to school.

Taking a second to admire the 1967 Chevy Impala, Dean hopped in the driver’s seat. When Sam tried to sit shotgun, Dean shoved him back out of the car.

“Sammy, Cas always gets shotgun.”

“Fine, I’ll sit in the back. And _don’t_ call me Sammy!”

Castiel Novak, or Cas, was Dean’s best friend. They had met when the Winchesters moved in next door to the Novaks. Dean was very surprised when he opened the door to a boy with very, very blue eyes. “Hello!” the boy said, “My name is Castiel Novak, and I live next door.” They had been five years old at the time, and had been in the same kindergarten class when school started a month later. The boys quickly became best friends.

Over the years, Dean and Cas became inseparable. During the summer, the two boys practically lived at the Winchester’s house. When school came around, the two boys saw less of each other, but spent all of their free time doing homework together and goofing off. When they got to high school, Cas worked very hard to get good grades, while Dean focused more on sports. However, they both continued to hang out whenever they could.

Now it was their last year before Cas went off to college. Cas was hoping to get into Harvard, his dream school. Dean, however, didn’t know if he was going to apply to college or stay home and find a job. The older Winchester brother had no idea what he wanted to do in the long run. For now, Dean had a job at his Uncle Bobby’s auto shop and was content.

Dean pulled out of the garage and into the driveway. A few seconds later, Castiel opened the door and hopped in. “Hurry up, Dean! We can’t be late on the first day!”

Dean chuckled and looked over at his best friend. Cas’s dark hair was always messy, making him look like he just woke up. However, Dean knew that Cas had probably woken up hours ago to make sure he wasn’t late. Dean’s gaze dropped to his best friend’s eyes. As always, they were the bluest shade Dean had ever seen. Cas locked eyes with Dean, and the two boys smiled.

Oh yeah, and Dean was hopelessly in love with Castiel.

Ever since they met, Dean had feelings for Cas. It wasn’t until he got older that he realized what the feelings meant, but it was too late. Dean had fallen hard. He didn’t know if he was gay or bi or whatever because he never had any feelings toward anyone else. Dean never told anyone, not even his family.

“Ahem.” Both Dean and Cas had forgotten the new addition to the backseat. “Are you two just gonna stare at each other, or are we gonna go?”

Dean laughed and backed out of the driveway. Fifteen minutes later, the three boys pulled into the parking lot of Lawrence High. After searching for a space, Dean finally parked the Impala and they all walked over to the building. Dean said a quick goodbye to Sam, and then he and Cas went to their homeroom.

“Alright, seniors. I have your schedules up here, so please form a line.” The voice came from their homeroom teacher Ms. Pamela Barnes.

Cas and Dean went to the end of the line and talked about which teachers they wanted. When they finally made it to the front, Ms. Barnes handed them each a neat agenda. The two boys went to the back of the room and sat down, comparing their schedules and teachers.

Dean was pleased to see that he and Cas were in the same physics, history, and calculus classes, but less so that Cas was in AP English and literature. Dean had always struggled in English, so he was disappointed that Cas wouldn’t be there to help him out.

“It’s fine, Dean. We can work on English and literature after school.” Sometimes Dean could swear that Cas had read his mind.

The first day was always kind of a joke. For the most part, the students just met their teachers and got their textbooks. When English came around, Dean went in the opposite direction of Castiel and found the right room. After sitting down in the back near a window, Dean sighed. He had Mr. Crowley for English, one of the harshest teachers in the school. Mr. Crowley was also the toughest grader. _I need Cas’s help,_ Dean thought to himself. He sighed again. _This is gonna be a long year._


	2. Chapter 2

Mr. Crowley entered the classroom and stood in front of the board. “Hello, boys and girls,” he said coolly in a British accent. “And welcome to English and Literature. The name’s Crowley.”

Mr. Crowley began to pace across the front of the room and spoke again. “We will start by reading _Romeo and Juliet_ by William Shakespeare.”

At least half of the class groaned. A chorus of students saying “but we all know what happens” and “I already saw the movie” broke out.

“Alright,” Mr. Crowley crooned, “then you all will be ready for the test. It was supposed to be after we finished reading the play, but if you are all so sure...”

Dean almost jumped out of his seat. There was no way that he could take a test on something he’d never read. He would have a hard enough time taking it _after_ he read the play. As he was internally panicking, Mr. Crowley let out a laugh at the terrified expressions on the students’ faces.

“Alright, calm down. We’ll wait to have the test, but for tonight’s homework you must read the first five scenes and take notes on the meeting of Romeo and Juliet. I will be collecting your notes tomorrow.”

The rest of the class went by quickly, and Dean headed to the cafeteria for lunch. He saw Cas sitting at their usual table and plopped down next to him. As they ate, their friends Jo, Ash, Chuck, and Charlie came to sit with them.

“Hey guys!” Jo chirped, a smile lighting up her face. “How’s the first day back going?”

Dean groaned. “It kinda sucks.”

Ash nodded. “I totally agree. At least they replaced the old computers, though. Those were crap.”

Charlie laughed. “I know, right? At least I can actually stand to use the new ones.”

Chuck just pulled out his laptop and started typing.

Everyone in the group had a role. Castiel was the nerd of the bunch, and he always helped everyone with his or her work. Jo was the peppy cheerleader that could still knock you out with one punch. Ash and Charlie were the computer geeks, and they could always make a detention disappear off of a report card. Chuck was quieter, constantly working on a series of novels called “Supernatural”. He based the characters off of his friends, and liked to claim that whatever he wrote came true (minus the whole supernatural element). Dean was the most popular because he was the football quarterback, but he never let his popularity affect his friendships.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw a moose. “Hey, Sammy!” he shouted. Sam walked up to the table, a pretty blonde standing next to him.

“Don’t call me Sammy.” He gestured to the girl. “Jess, these are Dean’s friends Jo, Chuck, Charlie, and Ash. You already know Castiel.”

Jess smiled. “Hi guys! It’s nice to meet you.”

Jess and Sam had met during the first week of summer vacation. They were really good friends, and Dean always teased Sam because he thought Sam had a crush on her.

“So, are you Sammy’s girlfriend yet?”

Sam and Jess laughed.

“Oh, no. We’ve told you a billion times, we don’t like each other like that.” Jess lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Plus, Sam’s got a crush on someone else.”

Sam’s face turned bright red and his eyes opened wide.

Dean smirked. “So Sam, tell me. Who is this mystery girl? Is she hot?”

Jess giggled and spoke. “Dean, you know that Sam lik-” She was cut off when Sam grabbed her wrist. He practically sprinted out of the cafeteria, dragging Jess with him so she couldn’t say anything else.

Dean didn’t know who Sam liked, so why did Jess think he did? Castiel glared at Dean, who looked puzzled. Cas stood up and walked in the same direction as Sam.

Dean asked, “What was that all about?”

Charlie rolled her eyes and followed Castiel.

“Who cares?” Ash was smiling. “Sam’s got a major crush. Did you see how red his face was?”

They all started cracking up. “So, how long do you think it’ll take for you to find out who she is, Dean?” Jo asked.

Dean grinned. “Not long. And when I find out, you guys can help me set them up.”

Dean frowned. “Geez, what is it with everyone today?”

Chuck sighed. “I have no idea.” The corners of his mouth turned up. “So I hear you’ve got Mr. Crowley for English?”

Dean groaned.

Jo laughed at the miserable expression on his face. “Okay, I’ve got to get to class.”

Ash frowned. “I can’t wait for this day to be over. This school is Hell.”

Dean smiled. “If this place is Hell, then Crowley is the king.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOC-ish Dean. Oops.

The ride home from school that day was awkward. Sam sat in the back quietly, staring out the window. When Dean had seen him after lunch, Sam’s eyes were red like he had been crying. For the rest of the day, Castiel just stared at him with a disapproving look on his face. Now, Dean just drove in silence, not even bothering to turn on the radio.

When he pulled into the driveway, Castiel got out of the car and went straight home, slamming the car door behind him. Sam slowly opened his door and went into the house. Dean sighed and, after a minute, followed.

“Dean?” His mother sounded confused. “Why did Sam lock himself in his room? Did something happen at school today?”

Dean shrugged. “No idea. He’s been like that since lunch.”

Mary Winchester frowned. “Well, you should talk to him.”

Dean nodded. He went up to his room, threw his backpack on his bed, and went over to knock on Sam’s door. “Sammy? You okay?” Dean put his ear to the door, and he thought he heard crying.

“Go away, Dean. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Please, Sammy?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Sam opened the door and let Dean come in. Closing the door behind him, Sam sat down on his bed next to Dean.

“What did Jess mean when she said that I knew who you liked?”

Sam hesitated. “I may have told her that I already told you.”

“So tell me who you like. I promise I won’t try to set you up with her.”

Looking at Sam’s face, Dean knew that was the worst thing he could’ve said.

“She wasn’t going to say _who_ I liked.”

Dean was more confused then ever. Sam saw the puzzled expression on his face and sighed.

“Dean, she was going to say that you knew I liked boys, not girls.”

Dean couldn’t hide the shock on his face. Sam looked at Dean, and he couldn’t keep the tears from falling.

“I’m gay, Dean. I know I should have told you. I told Cas first because I was too scared to tell you. That’s why he followed me. And I told Jess a few weeks ago. I told her that you knew because I know she would have made me tell you. I- I didn’t know that she was going to say anything. I didn’t want you to know I had a crush because I knew you would figure it out. When you asked me who the ‘mystery girl’ was, I couldn’t take it. I- I had to leave. I’m sorry, Dean. You probably hate me now. I-”

Sam was cut off when Dean pulled him into a tight hug. “Sammy, you know that I love you no matter what, right?” He looked into Sam’s eyes. “I don’t care if you’re gay. But…” An evil smile crawled across Dean’s face. “Now you have to tell me who you have a crush on so I can set you up with him.”

Sam and Dean both laughed until they couldn’t breathe. Sam turned away from his older brother. “So you’re really not mad at me?”

Dean smiled. “Why would I be mad? You’re my little brother. I’m always here for you.” Even though Sam couldn’t see him, Dean blushed and looked sheepishly at his feet. “And it would be pretty hypocritical of me.”

Sam turned around faster than humanly possible, his eyes wider than dinner plates. “What?”

Dean looked up at Sam. “I’m in love with Cas.”

The smile on Sam’s face was brighter than the sun. He grabbed Dean into a bear hug. Dean grinned.

“Looks like I owe Charlie $20.”

Dean pulled away from the hug, shocked.

“What?”

“Oh, I made a bet with Charlie about who’s pants you wanted to get in. She put her money on Cas. I had mine on Jo.”

Dean looked a little bit scared. “Wait, Charlie knows?”

“The bet was a while ago. I thought she was crazy and that I had it in the bag. But when she followed Cas, she told me she knew about me. I guess she was right when she said her gaydar was never wrong.”

Dean laughed even though he was worried that Charlie would say something about it. He laid down on the bed, Sam following. Looking over at Sam, he felt a weight lift off of his chest. “But now that you know who _I_ like, let’s talk about your crush.”

Sam sighed. “You’re not gonna like it.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s way older than me.”

Dean sat up. “Like how much older?”

Sam hesitated. “He’s 19.”

“19? Sam, he’s 5 years older than you! Hell, he’s older than I am!”

Sam just sighed again. “I know. But he’s amazing.”

Dean was trying to figure out who the mystery guy was. “How long have you known him?” Sam blushed, and Dean knew that the answer would give it away. “Sammy, just tell me.”

“I’ve known him since we moved here.” Dean’s eyes were wide when he realized that he knew exactly who Sam liked. “I’ve had a crush on him forever,” Sam continued.

“You like _Gabe_?” Dean tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but he couldn’t. “Sam, Gabe is too old for you, andhe’s kind of a jerk.”

Gabriel Novak was Castiel’s older brother. Castiel had three older brothers. The twins, Michael and Luke, were 22. Gabriel was 19. After meeting Cas when they moved in next door, Dean had met Gabe. He was one of Dean’s good friends now, and Sam had known him for almost his whole life. Dean knew he shouldn’t be that surprised. Sam had grown up around Gabe, just like Dean had grown up with Cas. However, Gabe was too old. He was taking a year off before college. Last year, he went to high school with Dean and Cas, where he was known as the Trickster. He was also a notorious man whore.

Sam looked like he was going to cry at Dean’s outburst. “I know,” he whispered, “but I can’t help it. I- I think I might be in love with him.”

Dean looked into Sam’s brown eyes. He couldn’t help but notice that past the sadness and fear, he could see love. Sam loved Gabriel.

Sighing, Dean hugged Sam. “I know. It hurts, doesn’t it? Knowing that you love someone, but they probably don’t love you back.”

Sam laughed even though there were tears in his eyes. “What do you mean? Cas is totally in love with you. Have you seen the way he looks at you?” He sighed. “Too bad Gabe doesn’t like me like that. He’s straight.”

For a second, Dean was too wrapped up in the fact that Cas might like him to think about the second part of Sam’s statement. Then he looked down at the boy in front of him and smiled. “Sam, Gabe is bisexual. Don’t you remember when Michael kicked him out of the house for a week before Lucifer calmed him down? That was after he came out.”

Sam beamed. “Really? Do you think he could ever like _me_?”

Dean jokingly groaned. “Great, now you’ll never stop trying to get into his pants.”

The two boys laughed again, and they kept laughing until Mary called them down for dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

During the drive to school the next day, all Dean could see was Sam staring at him. Occasionally, his gaze would shift from Dean to Cas. Whenever that happened, Dean would glare at him through the rearview mirror.

When they finally got to school after getting stuck in traffic, Sam headed off to get to his homeroom. Dean and Cas started walking in the opposite direction to get to theirs. Thinking about his talk with Sam the previous afternoon, he remembered what Sam had said about telling Cas because he was scared.

“So, Sammy told me yesterday.” Dean awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, hoping that Cas knew what he was talking about. Cas nodded. “And I think it’s really cool that you were there for him when he couldn’t tell me. But we are _not_ going to have a chick-flick moment, so don’t even think about mentioning this. Ever.”

Cas just smiled and the two seniors continued walking in silence.

Today was going to be a good day.

*****

When English came around, Dean was still in a good mood. He grabbed a pencil and a sheet of notebook paper from his backpack and looked up at the board. Mr. Crowley had written some lines from Act 1 Scene 5.

_‘Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!_ _/_ _For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.’_

“When Romeo sees Juliet for the first time, he questions whether or not he was truly in love with Rosaline. Over the next few days, we will be writing an essay on whether or not you believe in love at first sight. This will be due on Monday. No less than three pages long, Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced. Understand?” The class nodded. “Good.”

The bell rang, and Dean was the first one at their table at lunch. As his friends and little brother came to join him, he couldn’t help but smile as he listened to their conversation.

“Seriously, Sam? You really think that Harry is better than Hermione frickin’ Granger?”

“Well, excuse me, Charlie. But I don’t think that the books are _named_ after Hermione frickin’ Granger, are they?”

“Oh, c’mon guys!” Jo interrupted. “Everyone knows that Ron is the best. Without him, Harry would be nothing! Just like Castiel and Dean. They’ve been best friends forever.”

Now it was Becky’s turn. “Totally. I mean, Harry and Ron _needed_ each other. And they were _totally_ a couple for at least a few of those books.” She looked over at Dean and Cas and winked. Both boys looked away from each other and blushed. Everyone laughed.

“My parents are out of town this weekend. We should totally throw a party at mine.” Ash was the biggest partyer of the group. “But, y’know, just with us or whatever. We can hang out and have some fun.”

Everyone agreed to go over at 7 on Saturday. With that, they all headed off to their next classes.

*****

The rest of the day was uneventful. Dean was actually happy when he got home that afternoon and headed to his room, but Sam seemed apprehensive.

“Dean, do you think I should tell Mom?”

“About what?”

“You know…” Sam trailed off, blushing.

“Oh. Yeah, you can if you want. You can always wait.”

Sam sat down. “I’m just glad I don’t have to tell Dad yet. When is he gonna be back again?”

John Winchester, their father, was a private investigator. He was currently almost 2,000 miles away in Salem, Oregon working a case. John was very intimidating, and had raised his sons to be men. If he found out that they both liked guys, well… Dean didn’t even want to think about that.

“I dunno, Sammy. But I _do_ think you should tell Mom. I’m sure she’ll take it much better.”

Sam smiled. “Thanks, Dean.” The smile shrunk ever so slightly. “Are you gonna tell her about Cas?”

Dean hesitated. He didn’t really want to tell his mom just yet, but he knew he had to be there to support Sammy. The corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile. “Yeah, Sammy. I’ll tell her with you.”

Sam beamed and jumped into Dean’s arms. “Thanks, Dean! I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Dean laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know what you’d do without me either.”

*****

The two brothers went downstairs to the kitchen, where they found their mother making dinner.

Mary Winchester was, in Dean’s opinion, the best mother anyone could hope for. She was kind, beautiful, and loving, and Dean knew that she wouldn’t care about him or Sam.

“Hey, Mom. Can we talk? All three of us?”

“Sure, honey.” She put down the wooden spoon she was holding and sat down at the kitchen table. Sam looked nauseous, and Dean decided to go first to help settle Sam’s nerves.

Dean looked down at the table. “Okay, I’m just gonna say this. Mom, I’m in love with Cas. I guess that makes me gay, but I don’t know. I’ve only ever liked _him_ like that. I love everything about him, and I thought that I should tell you. I’m sorry.”

When Dean looked up at Mary, he could see tears in her eyes. Dean mentally prepared himself, but her voice was nothing like the disapproving one he had imagined.

“Dean. From the moment that you introduced me to Castiel, I’ve been waiting to hear you say that. Even when you were little, I could always tell. Don’t apologize, Dean. I love you no matter what, okay?”

She pulled Dean into a hug, and Dean couldn’t hold back the tear in his eye. “I love you so much, Mom.”

“I love you too, Dean.”

Mary pulled away and sat back down. Dean was happy to see that Sam had very much calmed down after seeing Mary’s reaction.

“Sam, do you want to tell me anything?”

Sam smiled a bit. “Yeah, Mom. I want to tell you that I…” Sam paused to take a deep breath. “That I’m gay.”

Mary smiled and hugged Sam too. “I know. You should really stop making goo-goo eyes at Gabriel.”

Sam tensed, then relaxed. Dean knew that it was kind of a relief to Sam that his mother had already figured it out.

“And I love you too, Sam.”

“Love you, Mom.”

Dean smiled. “Okay, well that’s enough touchy-feely for one day. I’m gonna go upstairs and listen to some AC/DC now.” He started to head upstairs. “Oh, and Mom? Can I go to Ash’s on Saturday night?”

“Sure honey. Just don’t do anything you might regret on Sunday.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Mom.”

When Dean got to his room, he turned on his music and flopped on the bed. _Yep, today was_ definitely _a good day,_ he thought to himself. Dean smiled. Perhaps this year wasn’t going to be that bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5

When Saturday came around, Dean was pretty excited. He hadn’t gotten to hang out with all of his friends since before summer vacation. So he and Sam got to Ash’s house five minutes before 7 pm.

“Dean, my man! ‘Sup, Sam?” Ash welcomed him inside. “Good to see ya! Once everyone else gets here, this party is gonna be epic!”

Charlie and Jo got there first, then Chuck and Becky.

Becky was Chuck’s girlfriend, but Dean always suspected that she had a crush on Sam. Anyways, she was always ‘shipping’ (whatever that means) the crap out of him and Cas.

Speaking of Cas, he and Gabriel had just walked in. Dean couldn’t tear his gaze away from Cas until Sam elbowed him in the side. “Ouch, Sammy!”

“Alright, everybody! Get in here!”

Once everyone was gathered in the living room, Ash cranked up the music and handed out beers. Cas and Sam politely declined, but everyone else accepted one. Dean took a sip and put his bottle down.

“So Ash, what do you have planned for tonight?”

“Well, I was thinking maybe we could hang out, get buzzed, and then play Spin the Bottle. Then we can get wasted and dance.” Ash grinned.

Charlie looked less than impressed. “Spin the Bottle? What is this, middle school?”

Becky frowned. “I think that sounds like fun, Ash.”

Dean looked over at Sam, who was staring at Gabriel. Sam turned to Dean, and Dean could clearly see that he was nervous.

“Maybe that’s not such a good idea, guys.”

“Oh, c’mon Dean! Don’t be such a party pooper!”

Once everyone had forced Dean to agree, they formed a circle. Placing an empty bottle in the center, Ash looked around. “Who wants to spin first?”

Becky’s hand shot up. “Me!” She leaned into the middle and spun the bottle as hard as she could. She looked happy when the bottle slowed down near Sam, but it kept turning until it was pointed at Chuck.

“Aw, really? You guys are, like, already together. Lame!”

Becky kissed Chuck for a few seconds after the 10-second minimum. When they pulled apart, they were both smiling. Then, realizing he had to spin the bottle now, Chuck groaned. He gave the bottle a pathetic spin, and it landed on Ash.

“Ooh, now we’re getting somewhere!”

“Shut it, Charlie.”

Chuck squeezed his eyes shut and leaned into the circle. Ash pressed his lips up against Chuck’s. After the ten seconds, they both pulled away immediately.

This continued. Ash had to kiss Jo, Jo had to kiss Charlie (much to Charlie’s delight), and Charlie had to kiss Gabriel. When the bottle stopped after Gabe’s spin, Sam let out a small squeak. It was pointed directly at him.

Gabriel smiled and winked. “C’mere, Sammich.”

Sam leaned in and Gabriel met him halfway. Instinctively, Sam’s hand rose to Gabriel’s face, and Gabe’s hands went to Sam’s back. After about 20 seconds, they pulled apart, faces red and lips swollen. Everyone just kind of awkwardly watched as the two blushed and returned to their seats.

Sam spun the bottle, and almost died when he saw who it landed on.

“NO. NO FRICKIN’ WAY. I WILL **NOT** KISS MY LITTLE BROTHER!”

“Those are the rules, Dean. It’s just 10 seconds.”

As much as Dean wanted to argue, he knew that they would just keep pestering him until he did. So he walked over to Sam, scrunched up his eyes, and only barely touched Sam’s lips with his own. When Becky said ‘10,’ the two ripped away from each other as fast as they could, spitting and scrubbing their faces.

“I feel so unclean,” Dean said with a scowl as he returned to his seat.

“Tell me about it,” Sam replied in an equally disgusted voice.

Gabriel smirked. “Suck it up, Dean-o! Your turn to spin.”

When Dean looked at where the bottle was pointing, he almost died right there.

“Ooh, you gotta kiss Cas!”

“Oh my god! Total Destiel moment!”

They all looked over at Becky.

“Destiel. Dean and Castiel. You know, like Brangelina?”

Dean looked over at Cas. He looked like he might faint or throw up, and he was whiter than a sheet. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Cas.” Dean tried to comfort Cas.

“I, um, I- I have to go, seeyouguysonmondaybye.” And with that, Castiel had left the building.

Charlie looked at Dean. “What was that all about?”

Dean was just as surprised. “I have no idea.”

Inside, Dean was overjoyed. He knew that there was no way that Cas felt the same way as he did, but Dean knew that _if_ he ever did kiss Cas, their first kiss wouldn’t be in front of all of their friends during a dumb game. Dean would make it special. You know, if he ever got the balls to do it.

Dean looked over to see that Sam and Gabe were talking. He _may_ have eavesdropped a bit, but it _was_ his little brother, so it was okay.

“Kiddo, listen. I really like you. I have for a long time.” Gabriel awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “And I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out with me sometime?”

Sam beamed. “Really?”

Gabe laughed nervously. “Of course.”

Sam took Gabe’s hands in his own and gave a sweet smile. “I’d like that, Gabe.”

Dean chose that moment to walk over.

“C’mon, Sammy. Let’s go home.”

Dean watched as Sam held onto Gabriel’s hand. “Cas took Gabe’s car, so we need to drive him.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Fine. But no sex in the backseat.” He laughed at the mortified looks on their faces. “Just kidding. But seriously, congrats on getting a boyfriend Sammy.” Sam and Gabriel both blushed, but looked at each other and smiled.

“Oh, and Gabe?”

“Yeah, Dean?”

“You hurt Sammy and I will rip you limb from limb.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I know.”

He and Sam got in the backseat while Dean drove. When they got back to their house, Sam kissed Gabriel goodnight, and they made plans to go to dinner the next night. Gabriel promised Dean to figure out what happened with Cas and report back to him later. Once Gabriel had been safely in their neighbor’s house, Sam and Dean went inside.

“Hey, Mom.”

“You two are back already?”

“Yeah, party was getting weird. Sam and Gabriel are together now, so that’s cool.”

“Dean!”

“Did you give Gabe the big brother talk?”

Dean smiled. “I told him I’d rip him limb from limb.”

Now it was Mary’s turn to smile. “Good. Wouldn’t want to see my baby get hurt.”

Sam blushed and ran upstairs.

Dean sat next to his mom on the couch. “You aren’t upset about the age difference?”

Mary shrugged. “I’ve known Gabriel for a long time. I know that he would never hurt Sam, or push him into anything. I trust him, and I trust Sam to be responsible and make the right decisions.”

Dean smiled. “You should have seen how happy he was. I trust Gabe enough to let him near Sammy, but I will not hesitate to murder him if he steps out of line.”

Mary and Dean kept talking for a while before Dean went upstairs. He tried to sleep, but couldn’t stop wondering if Cas was alright. He fell asleep a few hours later, and dreamt of blue, blue eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

When Dean woke up on Sunday, Sam was already freaking out.

“Dean, what if I mess up? I really like Gabe, but what if it doesn’t work out? What if-”

“Sammy,” Dean interrupted, “it’ll be fine. Gabriel looks like he really likes you.”

Sam sighed. “I know. It’s just, I’ve been waiting for this for so long, and I want it to be perfect.”

Dean grinned. He should’ve known Sammy would be the type to freak out before a date. “Don’t be such a girl, Samantha.”

*****

Gabriel knocked on the front door at 5:45 that evening. Sam was almost to the point of hyperventilating because he was so nervous. Dean waltzed over an opened the door. He had to look down because Gabriel was so much shorter. “Hi, Dean. Sam is here, right?”

Dean smirked. “Yep. So, you asked Cas about last night?

The expression on Gabriel’s face was unreadable. “Yeah, I talked to Cassie.”

Dean frowned slightly. “And?”

Gabriel looked extremely uncomfortable. “Oh, it was nothing.” He leaned past Dean. “Sam, you ready to go?”

“Be right there, Gabe!” Sam had run upstairs when Gabriel got there. He was trying to calm down and not throw up.

Dean was confused. Obviously something was up with Cas, and Gabriel had an idea of what it was. “Are you sure nothing’s up?”

Gabriel nodded. When Sam came downstairs, both he and Gabe smiled. “C’mon, Samsquatch.” Sam blushed at the nickname. He and Gabe grabbed each other’s hand and headed over to Gabriel’s car.

“Have fun, you crazy kids!” Dean shouted, smiling. As soon as the car pulled out of the driveway, he went into the kitchen. “Mom, can I go over to check on Cas? He was acting weird yesterday.”

Mary smiled. “Sure, honey. Tell him I said hi.”

“I will.” Dean went back outside and walked next door. He knocked on the door using the same special beat he had made up with Cas when they were 8. After a minute or two, the door opened.

Cas stood at the door in a plain white v-neck and a pair of sweatpants. He had obviously just crawled out of bed. “Hello, Dean.”

Dean’s gaze shifted to Cas’s eyes. Still their unnatural shade of blue, they looked tired. “Hey, Cas. Did I wake you up?”

Castiel shook his head. “No, I got up like twenty minutes ago. I couldn’t sleep at all last night, so I went back to bed a few hours ago.”

At this point Cas and Dean had migrated to the couch in the Novak’s family room. The unmistakable intro to Doctor Who was playing from the television. “So, what was up with last night? You kinda ran out on us, man.”

Cas shrugged. “I just wanted to go home. Anyways, better doctor? David Tennant or Matt Smith?”

“David Tennant for sure. But Cas, seriously, something’s up.”

Cas couldn’t meet Dean’s eyes. “It’s nothing. Really. Gabe asked me too, and honestly it’s nothing.”

Dean frowned. “Okay, whatever. Let’s just watch the show.”

The two boys sat in silence. Dean glanced over at Castiel during the episode, and Cas was fast asleep. Turning off the television, Dean draped a blanket over his best friend and returned home.

*****

Sam got home at almost 9 o’clock. After Gabriel left, Sam started blabbering.

“So, we went to that Italian place downtown, and he got spaghetti and I got ravioli. For dessert we went to the sweet shop and Gabe at his weight in candy. And then we drove down to the lake, and he held y hand, and we walked on the shore, and ohmygod it was so perfect, Dean! He was so sweet and nice and-”

“That’s great, Sammy. Shut up.” Dean said, frowning.

Sam smiled devilishly. “Oh, you’re just moping because _I_ went on a date and _you_ didn’t! You’re just jealous.”

Dean got up and went upstairs to his room. He could hear Sam teasing him all the way up.

When Dean went to bed that night, he wondered what Cas was hiding from him. Frowning, he laid his head down on the pillow, but smiled as soon as he closed his eyes and saw blue ones staring back at him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOC Crowley because when I wrote this I didn't think ahead to the end.

Monday was rather uneventful. Castiel was back to normal, and Dean managed to hand in his English essay on time. Cas went over to Dean’s house and the two had a Star Wars movie marathon. At 11:30, Cas went home and Dean went to bed, falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

On Tuesday, Dean had English right before lunch. Before he could leave the classroom, Mr. Crowley pulled him aside.

“Mr. Winchester, can we take a second to talk about your essay?”

Dean was confused by this, but nodded and approached the desk.

“Dean,” Mr. Crowley began, “your essay states that love at first sight exists. Every other essay I graded disagrees with yours, but your argument was sound. I just wanted to figure out why you feel so strongly on this subject.”

At that, Dean froze. He did believe that love at first sight existed. Scratch that, he _knew_. He knew because that’s what happened to him. From the moment Dean saw Castiel standing at his front door all those years ago, he had been in love with the boy. But he wasn’t going to tell Crowley that before he told Cas.

“Um, I guess I just think that you can fall in love with someone by looking at them. Of course, you grow to love them more as you get to know them, but…” Dean faltered, running out of things to say.

Mr. Crowley smirked. “Sounds like you know from experience.”

Dean could feel his face heating. He looked down at his feet, trying to find words to object to the statement, but he couldn’t come up with an excuse.

“Well, Dean, I’m giving you an A on your essay. Your argument was valid.” He handed Dean the essay, pausing before he added, “And good luck with that true love of yours. You can go to lunch now.”

Dean was out of the classroom in a flash.

That evening while Dean was sitting in his room after dinner, he thought about Cas. Was he ever going to be able to work up the courage to tell him? But when Dean thought of those blue, blue eyes, he knew he had to. Pulling out his phone, he texted Cas.

_To: Cas_

_Hey. Meet me at the place in 5. We need to talk. –D_


	8. Chapter 8

About thirty seconds after Dean sent the text, his phone rang. “Hey, Cas.” He didn’t need to check the caller ID to know that it would be the blue-eyed boy on the other end.

“Dean, it’s getting late and I’m trying to do my homework. How vital is this ‘talk’?” Dean knew that if he were talking to him in person, Cas would use his hands to form air quotes around ‘talk’.

Dean ignored the question. “Cas, can we please just talk about this in person?” He looked through his window. Dean’s bedroom faced Castiel’s, and they could see each other when they both stood at the window. Dean saw a figure pull the curtains aside, and suddenly he was looking right into those big blue eyes.

“Fine. Where do you want to meet? ‘The place’ seems a little out of the way, don’t you think?”

Dean really wanted to go to ‘the place’, an overturned log looking out on the small stream deep in the woods behind their houses. He knew it might be unsafe to be in the woods at night. He paused, thinking of a better place.

Over the phone, he heard Cas sigh. “This isn’t funny Dean, the voice says I’m almost out of minutes.” Dean smiled. Cas never could get the hang of cellphones. _And that’s one of the reasons why I love him so much._

“Please, Cas?” Dean tried to replicate Sam’s puppy dog eyes, which had gotten him out of trouble many times. He looked directly at Cas, and threw in a pout for good measure.

“Fine. I’ll be there in five.” And with that, the boy disappeared from his window.

Dean grabbed his leather jacket from his desk chair. On the way out the door, he realized that his English essay was still in the pocket, but he didn’t want to keep Cas waiting.

 

When Dean got to the log, Cas was already there. Even though it was still early September, it was chilly, and Cas had forgotten to grab a coat. Dean took off his own and draped it on Castiel’s shoulders.

“Hey, Cas.”

“Hello, Dean. What did you want to talk about?”

Dean froze. He had felt so confident earlier in the night, but any bit of bravery he had had was gone. “Um…” He tried to come up with an excuse. “I got an A on an English essay. Thought you might like to know.”

Castiel’s face lit up. “An A? Dean, that’s great! I know that you were nervous, especially with Mr. Crowley, but seriously. I’m proud of you.”

Dean smiled. But he wasn’t prepared for the next question.

“Can I read it?”

Dean knew that if he let Cas read the essay, he would figure it out. Cas would see the evidence and examples. Dean had used Castiel’s own traits to support his argument, knowing that Mr. Crowley wouldn’t know whom he was talking about. But Cas would.

But then again, maybe this was his chance. Maybe if he let Cas read his essay, Dean would have the courage to tell him he loved him. “Um, sure. It’s in the pocket of my jacket, actually.”

Cas reached into the jacket and pulled out the paper. He saw the big red ‘A’ written at the top, and beamed at Dean before his eyes returned to the text.

_Sometimes, it only takes one look to fall in love. You might not even know it at the time because you’re too young and you don’t know what that feeling is. You might look from the dark, messy hair to the big, blue eyes and feel your heart beat faster. Some might say it’s just lust, a want of the flesh, but sometimes it’s more. You get to know the person more, and you learn that they like Star Wars and Led Zeppelin and all of the other things that you like, too. And as you get older, you realize that what you feel, why your palms feel sweaty and your cheeks feel hot, isn’t just attraction. It’s love, and you felt it from the moment you saw them standing on the front step. And overtime, you want to tell that person, to have them return the love to you, but you’re scared. Scared because if you screw it up you lose your best friend, the one that you’ve been in love with since you were five years old. But sometimes, you have to take that chance. Sometimes, even if you don’t know it, they just might love you back._

When Cas had finished reading it, his eyes widened. He managed to choke out a rough “Dean” and looked up at the Winchester.

“Cas, I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want you to hate me, to leave me. You’re my best friend, and I-” Dean took a deep breath and looked directly into the beautiful blue eyes belonging to the other senior. “I love you, Castiel Novak.”

When Dean stopped, he waited for Cas to speak. Taking the silence as rejection, he stood. “I’m sorry. I- I’m sorry.” Dean turned, heading back in the direction of his house as tears threatened to surface.

“Dean, wait!”

Dean felt a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around to face Castiel. Entwining his fingers in Dean’s short hair, Cas pulled Dean into a kiss. Stunned, it took Dean a second before he began to kiss back. It was soft and gentle and chaste, and everything that Dean had wanted their first kiss to be. The two boys slowly pulled away, and blue eyes met green.

Cas spoke barely above a whisper. “I’ve been waiting to do that for almost thirteen years. I love you too, Dean.” Cas leant in to softly peck Dean on the lips. “And I’m flattered that you wrote about me in your essay.”

Dean chuckled. He grabbed Castiel’s waist and pulled him into another kiss. Castiel’s hands wrapped around Dean’s neck, and the seniors kissed for what felt like hours. And maybe it was, because time didn’t matter when they were wrapped up in each other’s arms.

And if the next day they walked into school holding hands, none of their friends seemed surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this fic :) anyways, just wanted to credit Something Simpler on fanfiction.net because I didn't have an idea for the end but they suggested it for me. (Also, no more transferring!)


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